A boy's adventure story isn't the worst thing in the world

books:


	• Wake of the Perdido Star: A Novel Gene Hackman, Daniel Lenihan Newmarket Press, 1999 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 32 reviews view larger image
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A boy's adventure story isn't the worst thing in the world

Fair enough. It reads like a pulp action story, at times. And our hero Jack is a little to good to be true. Mighty thews and all. Brooding countenance and flashing eyes. However that doesn't make this a bad book. It makes it a pretty entertaining and action-packed book, and while Jack may be a little unbelievable, the action and story aren't unbelievable. Essentially, Jack, the 18 year old son of a gun smith, is swept off on a whirlwind adventure that takes him from the fledgling USA to Cuba to the South Pacific. In it, he encounters self-righteous Yankees, evil Cuban noblemen, bloodthirsty Pacific Islanders (savages, don't you know), bloodthirstier Dutch slavers, and British press gangs. Okay, there are a lot of cliches (and I mean a lot), but there is a lot of fun in here too. And despite the notorious and nigh-legendary phrase "the pintles were sprung from the gudgeon," there's not an overwhelming amount of sea-stuff in here. Try reading Patrick O'Brian and you'll see what I mean. This book is comparable to Wilbur Smith's "Birds of Prey." Kinda like an old Errol Flynn movie. I enjoyed this book a good bit, and would be interested in reading more from these authors.

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I loved it

After reading some other reviews,i almost didn't read the book. i'm glad i did! Don't listen to the literary snobs who find fault with every book;if you like a good story, this one has everything. Adventure, conflict, danger, complex human emotions, friendship and teamwork. i like a story that keeps me wondering what will happen next! i found this one thoroughly satisfying,and it could be a great movie.

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Action Packed

This book has more action in a single chapter than most authors can put in a trilogy! The best sea saga I've ever read!

Not a bad first effort

Reminiscent of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin and Julian Stockwin's Kydd/Renzi in the pairing of the intellectual LeMaire with the man of action O'Reilly, it is also set in the same period, albeit American- rather than European-based.
We follow half-caste Jack's progression from mild-mannered teenager to ruthless pirate on a mission to eradicate slavers and avenge his parent's death and dishonour.
In a mixture of 'Swiss family Robinson' and 'Captain Blood', the Perdido Star, captained by a crazed drunkard, is wrecked on a desert island, having made heavy weather of rounding the Horn. Neighbouring islanders, salvaged materials and the ingenuity of the survivors combine to provide a comfortable semblance of home, which is rudely shattered by the appearance of a Dutch VOC ship collecting human 'cargo'. Jack is persuaded by circumstances and his friend Paul that the only way to right the wrongs of the world is to take action - and there is action aplenty in this gripping, although slightly pulpy, first novel from Hackman & Lenihan.
Well-drawn characters and an intriguing plot combine to make a story to rival the best in the genre.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Academy Award-winning actor Gene Hackman and leading underwater archeologist Daniel Lenihan have combined their talents to create one of the most exciting-and critically acclaimed-adventure novels of our time. A rousing saga of shipwrecks, pirates, and the sea, it chronicles the fate of a young man forced by tragedy to join the crew of the Perdido Star in 1805. From the docks of old Salem, to Cuba and the South Seas, his three-year voyage is a classic coming-of-age adventure that is truly "an American swashbuckler" (Kirkus Reviews).

Praise for Wake of the Perdido Star:

"A swashbuckling sea story written like a sea story should be written, with all the legendary action...fascinating."-Clive Cussler

"An adventure story that earns its place in the esteemed company of such seafaring sagas as Moby Dick...."-San Diego Union-Tribune

"Always entertaining."-Library Journal

"A robust sea-faring yarn...A fun-filled adventure...complete with a slam-bang finale." -Winston-Salem Journal

"Intriguing [and] exciting."-Publishers Weekly

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